Fundamental particles and the advancement of geoscience: Response to "Implications of TEM data for the concept of fundamental particles"

A scientific response to suggested modifications of the fundamental particl es theory for clay minerals, and limitations regarding its usage in the lit erature, demonstrates that such modifications may be unnecessary, and poten tially harmful to communication of research results. The value of this mine ralogical model, as well as its physical description of complex clay minera l properties in diagenetic and other environments, would be compromised or unduly restricted by adopting the suggested criteria for its usage. In the absence of a demonstrably superior and confirmed alternative model, it is r ecommended that the fundamental particle hypothesis have priority within ge oscience disciplines, as it provides a quantitative, verified, and independ ently validated basis from which to evaluated the nature, behavior, and ori gin of clay minerals in a variety of geological settings.